Papa Don't Preach
by Pyro Bear
Summary: As the daughter of a famous rock star, Charlie's life was complicated. Enter her new slayer powers, a bodyguard named Connor, and a fertility goddess bent on playing matchmaker. Chaos ensues.
1. Charlie Rose

**Disclaimer:** Disclaimer: All canon characters et all belong to Joss Weadon et al. This is an answer to gidgetgirl's challenges "Rock Baby" and "Beltane Babies". Both challenges are archived at Chocolate Covered Strawberries )  
**Warning: **This contains bits of the lauguage naughty, and will contain bits of the naughty, couple of chapters later.  
**Note: **Please leave constructive critism including (but not limited to) your favorite scene and least favorite scene. And I'm sorry for the wierd formatting. hates me.

* * *

Chapter One: Charlie Rose

Charlie was never one for skirts and Mary Janes. In fact, she was never one for boarding schools. Something about arrogant rich kids made her skin crawl. But here she was, pleated navy skirt, white blouse, and navy sweater with her Connecticut boarding school's crest embroidered on it. "And once more he is sent to hell," she looked at her nails. Perfect.

There were times she loved her father. Her new cars in Los Angeles and New York, her gold cards, and extensive wardrobe could tell anyone that. Then of course there were the times she damned him to the seven levels of hell. He was damned so many times he probably had a special place set aside for him. And only parents who sent off their teenagers to boarding school against their will for company.

Sometimes she wondered if she was bitter. But then she bought herself a cute outfit or got a manicure.

The usual cause of his damnation was Haywood Prep. Filled with politicians children, the offspring of successful businessmen, the spawn of celebrities, and sometimes the celebrities themselves populated the school. Charlie knew she was one of them, it didn't mean she had to like it.

"Damning your father again?" her best friend, Adele, asked, sitting down. Her friend was everything Charlie was not. Tall, blonde, and blue-eyed, Adele fit every stereotype of the classic Californian beauty. Charlie just had to settle with brown hair and grey eyes that looked like stone, and she was short. Her father, Jack, was just over six foot, why the hell did Charlie get stuck with the short genes?

"Yes." Pulling out The Old Man and the Sea from her bag, she began to flip through the first fifty pages.

"You're actually reading that? It's two weeks until the final banquet. No one is expecting anyone to do anything."

Grey eyes didn't flicker away from the page. "Did it occur to you I enjoy reading?"

"Ugh." Adele shook her head. "It was about 127 pages too long. I swear, it was the perfect, non addictive, cure for insomnia."

"You have no taste for literature." Charlie closed the book, stuffing it back into her bag. "Have you started to pack yet?"

Adele shrugged. "I'm thinking I should wait a week. You?"

"Four boxes already done." Charlie stood, shouldering her bag. "I have an angry phone call to make."

Walking to her dormitory, someone grabbed her wrist. "I have to talk to you." It was her boyfriend, Theo.

She smiled at him. "I really do have to go. I'm going to call my father then I'm off to Contemporary Literature. We'll talk later." Kissing his cheek, she was off.

* * *

Karlei picked up a brown rabbit baby. "Hello my sweet," she crooned; she stroked the she-bunny's fur. "You're a special one, aren't you?" She looked into its grey eyes. "Yes you are." Putting it down in a pen, she picked up another brown furred rabbit, with blue eyes. Larger than the first, it was definitely male. "You protect her," the goddess said, putting it down.

The male rabbit hopped over to the female and began to nuzzle the other rabbit. Oh yes, Karlei had chosen perfectly.

* * *

Charlie looked at herself in the mirror. Her mousy brown hair was up, off her neck. Smiling, she looked at herself. Not bad, but not perfect either. It looked as if she had a little bump on her nose, and her eyes were too wide apart. Stepping away from the mirror, she sighed. Smoothing the black dress, she couldn't wait for the final banquet. Actually, she could care less about the banquet; it was after the banquet she was worried about.

A knock at the door, going to open it, she found Adele standing there. "You're bra's showing," she said as soon as the door was closed. "Black bra? I bet you're wearing black panties. Someone's getting lucky tonight."

She choked out a laugh. "Excuse me?"

Adele rolled her eyes. "No one wears black negligee without wanting to get some." She put an arm around her best friend, "I wont tell if you wont. Now lets get some food, it's going to be the only time they serve decent food all year."

* * *

"So what are you doing for your summer break?" Charlie asked Adele as they waited in the airport. Both dressed in jeans, in what felt like the first time in forever. Both were more relaxed than they'd been in a long time.

"What any senator's daughter would do. DC for a week to hob knob with the president's daughter and the vice-president's son. Then it's off to California for photo-ops and the such. At least Joe, the vice-president's son, is eye candy, not a total waste." Adele shrugged. "What about you?" She didn't mention Theo.

"Tour as usual," Charlie's tone was blasé. "Stuff will be shipped to New York for the summer while I fly out to LA. Have the usual meetings with lawyers and management. Then it's off to do the US tour. For once I wish they'd do Asia or Europe when I'm around." She rolled her eyes. "There are only so many times you can see New York, Chicago, Boston, or Los Angeles. Though I can't complain about is the shopping."

Adele blinked. "You're the only person I know that can complain about touring around the US." Charlie just grinned. "Your father is an internationally acclaimed superstar and you complain about visiting the best shopping cities in the world. You're crazy." She changed the subject. "So when's the new video out?"

Charlie shrugged, she honestly wasn't sure. "I have a feeling I'll be stopping by MTV to premiere it, whee!" she rolled her eyes. Adele shook her head. A plane was called and she smiled. "JFK to National, that would be me. Call me when you stop in San Diego. We'll do lunch." Picking up her carry on, Adele made her way to the gate with four other students.

Beethoven's Fur Elise began to play from her pocket; pulling out the phone, she didn't even bother to check who was called. "Hello?" It was her father wanting to know when she'd be in. "Six hour flight, taking off in an hour," she confirmed. "I'm getting in at three, LA time. Gate 7B at LAX."

"I miss you." Jack Elliot didn't try to verbalize his emotions. He did it better in notes that words.

"I know Daddy." She began to play with her belt loop.

"Look, I've got to go. You choose where we go to eat tonight." And her father was gone.

Closing her phone, Charlie sighed. Couldn't they just stay in? Her dad made wicked French toast. It would be nice to settled down with him to watch a movie. She remembered when they did that all the time. Before they knew it, it would be time for touring, and there would be no time. Times like these she really did wish she lived in Any Town, USA existing as an anonymous person. That way she wouldn't be forced to spend the next seven hours with the fifteen of her schoolmates. This was hell.

* * *

She waited in the lounge, a soda in her hand. "Charlotte?" a man asked.

Looking up, she found a boy not much older than her, standing there. "Charlie actually." Sanding up, she held out her hand. He took it. "Where's Tony?" She asked about the six foot-five black man that had been her bodyguard since she was seven.

"Bags." That's all he said.

"Not much of a talker, huh?" He didn't respond.

The drive out of the airport was a silent one. Charlie was wondering how many pairs of Jimmy Choo's she could milk out of her father, or if she should just go out and get a tattoo. She was thinking about something in the small of her back or maybe on her hip. Perhaps she'd get both. It'd be fun to see her dad go all red, then she'd point out the ink on his arm.

Tony was wisely silent; he knew the teenage girl's moods. The other one said nothing.

Opening the Stewarts Root Beer that she had bought in the airport, Charlie continued her internal debate about the type of revenge she could enact on her father. She had a years worth of teenage rebellion to inflict in ten weeks. Closing her eyes, she leaned back. She was still a little angry with her father. She hadn't seen him since Christmas. She had spent Spring Break in London with a trip organized by Haywood. Surely he could beg off one meeting to meet her at the airport.

As she seethed, the song Charlie Rose, a particular hit of Denison's, came on the air. Charlie ground her teeth; Charlie Rose had been a particular nickname Theo had granted her. And he was the last person she wanted to think about. That, combined with the anger she was trying to repress about her father. "Turn it off Tony," she told the driver, keeping her eyes closed. She didn't notice how tight she was gripping the bottle. When he didn't do anything she said it again, only louder. Suddenly the glass shattered in her hand. "Fuck!"

The car swerved at the curse. "Charlie are you okay?" Tony asked as he gained back control of the wheel and turned down the radio. The other one turned too.

"No," Charlie looked down at her hands; they were all cut up. "I don't like blood." She began to cry.

* * *

She sat in a Wolfram & Hart boardroom, her hands still bloody. The other body guard, she still didn't know his name, had gone off to get a first aide kit. Charlie didn't know where Tony had gone.

Someone opened the door, she looked up, hoping it was the other bodyguard, but it wasn't. Tall and thin, he had bleached blonde hair. He smiled at her, and she repressed her own smile, he had a nice smile. "What happened pet?" he asked, sitting down in the chair next to her. He was looking at her rather intently.

Charlie found herself glaring. "Not your pet," her voice was sharp. She hid her hands under the boardroom table. The blonde haired man continued to look at her. "What?" she snapped.

"I would think you'd want someone to look at those." He nodded at her hidden hands.

She was saved from answering when Bodyguard No Name came back. "Move Spike." He shoved the wheeled chair out of his way with his foot. Putting the kit on the table, he reached for her hands.

"You must think I'm such a girl," Charlie said as he wiped away the blood. If he did think as much, he didn't say anything. "I can give a guy a broken nose without thinking about it, but I can't stand the sight of blood." She giggled suddenly. When he looked up, she smiled. "Sorry, it tickles."

He worked silently for the next couple minutes. "Connor," he said after a moment. At her confused face, he clarified. "My name is Connor. It's nice to meet you."


	2. Blood, Slayers, and Doe Eyes

**Disclaimer:** Disclaimer: All canon characters et all belong to Joss Weadon et al. This is an answer to gidgetgirl's challenges "Rock Baby" and "Beltane Babies". Both challenges are archived at Chocolate Covered Strawberries )  
**Warning: **This contains bits of the lauguage naughty, and will contain bits of the naughty, couple of chapters later.  
**Note: **Please leave constructive critism including (but not limited to) your favorite scene and least favorite scene.

* * *

Chapter Two: Blood, Slayers, and Doe Eyes

Charlie walked down the halls of Wolfram & Hart. "So your dad runs this place?" she asked. There was something noticeably different that she honestly couldn't put her finger on. She hadn't experienced lightness like it before in the building. Connor nodded. "For all of your silence, you're a lot better as a tour guide than the last one I had, a smarmy jackass named Gavin Price."

Connor looked up. "Short guy, Asian?"

"You know him?"

"I've met him once or twice." Connor scratched the back of his neck. "You can say he underwent a transformation. He moved on."

The pair continued their journey down the halls of the law firm silently, until they reached Boardroom C. When Charlie made no move to open the door, Connor gave her a quizzical look. She just held up her hands. He at least, had the decency to look embarrassed. When the door was opened, both Charlie and Connor were greeted to the sight of four grown men fighting over the last piece of pizza.

Connor recognized Lorne, in what had been deemed his _human disguise_, sitting back, watching. The pizza had been left unguarded. Without even batting an eye, Charlie walked past her bodyguard and picked it up.

"You can stop now," she said once she had begun on the crust. "Pizza's all gone."

The four men looked up at her, then at the empty pizza box, then back at her. Jack was the first to speak. "What happened?" he asked, once seeing his daughter's bandaged hands. The other three looked as if they wanted to know as well.

"Well hello to you do. I'm fine how are you?" Charlie snapped as she hugged her father

"Avoiding the question." He looked her in the eye.

"Root beer bottles don't like me?" she offered, hugging him again.

Jack sighed and didn't press any further. Charlie went on to greet her father's three other band mates: Dean James, Marcus Sanchez, and Will Dagger. They had been like uncles to her. Her hands weren't mentioned again.

&$&$&$&

"So, what are we doing for dinner?" Jack sat next to his daughter on the sofa. Tony had just dropped them off at the condominium ten minutes before. Connor had stayed at Wolfram and Hart. Against her will, Charlie found herself missing the tall, scrawny, and silent Connor.

Leaning against her father, she sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we should stay home. I sorta feel like French toast."  
  
"And my credit card," Jack said good naturedly. He wasn't stupid in the ways of his daughter. "I guess we need to go to the store. I think all we have is beer and ice cream in the fridge." He stood and walked into the kitchen. "Wait, no. We have eggs, milk, and bread," he yelled back. "Are you sure you don't want take-out?"

"No!" she called out as she moved over to the love seat as her father cooked the French toast that had been requested. It was nice to be home. As she waited, Charlie flipped through the scrapbook her father had been keeping on and off since she could remember. The first couple of pages were filled with candid taken by various people, mostly of her father and herself. The next were of the first interview, magazine article, and professional photos featuring her. _Fans and Fatherhood: How Success and Children Go Together. And Work._ Grinning, she began to read the interview.

"Whatcha doing?" her father came into the room, a plate of French toast and two forks in his hand. "Scoot." Charlie moved over, though in the end, she was halfway to sitting on her father's lap.

"Scrap book."

Jack smirked and held out a forkful of French toast. "Want some?"

She rolled her eyes. "I can feel myself." She took the fork from her father.

His smirk widened, and turned into a grin. "I remember a time when you ate more off my plate than your own. You are more steak than I did." Charlie's eyes rolled again in the classic teenage look. Spearing a piece of French toast from the plate from the one her father held. She stuck it into her moth. "Oh stop being grumpy," Jack said, grabbing the other fork. "Besides, I didn't think you'd be using your own hands that much." After that, she allowed her father to feed her a few bits of the French toast. "Did you pass out?" he asked wickedly.

She settled on glaring until she finished chewing. "Thanks ever so much. Just remind me how much I dislike blood, while I'm _eating_."

Jack laughed. "I just remembered whenever blood work has to be done, you'd almost pass out. In fact, you did a couple of times."

Sighing, Charlie tried to push herself out of the seat, but her father caught her around the middle. She fell back with an _oomph_. "Let me go. I want to go to my room." She looked at her father, he was grinning. "Yes, I know I'm being childish."

"Stay here," he cajoled. "We can watch a movie."

Jack Elliot prided himself on being levelheaded in every area. He never struck a reporter, he stayed out of the tabloids as much as possible, and most of the time he was in control of his emotions. Of course, there were always exceptions to the rule. His exception was his daughter. He looked down at her sleeping form, the sounds of The Princess Bride played in the background. Softly he stroked her brown hair.

Charlotte Rose Elliot had come into his life full force. One night he was out drinking, finding a nice girl to bring home to his bed. The next, he was up to his ears in diapers and toys. Even at three and a half, he daughter had yet to be toilet trained. Obviously hadn't found time between snorting, boozing, and sleeping around to take care of her daughter.

But Charlotte, who quickly became known as Charlie to most everyone, was a quick study. Within six weeks there only occasional nighttime accidents occurred. Even so, she was painfully shy, preferring to stick to her father's side every waking moment. In public, which consisted of everybody but him, her vocabulary was limited to _hello,_ _please_, and _thank you_. But in private, Jack was graced with stories of adventures Charlie and Puppy, her stuffed dog, had taken.

Jack found he enjoyed being a father. There was nothing better than having her look at him with complete adoration in her eyes. And then when she fell asleep on him, so vulnerable, so trusting. But there was the fact that she preferred anything on her father's plate to her own. He found himself eating more and more fish sticks and such while she ate steak. The girl was also painfully spoiled, ever since he had picked her up from New York. But it didn't matter if she had a million toys or just her stuffed dog, Puppy. It had been, and still was, nothing but the best for his little girl.

&$&$&$&

_She was bored, and it had been so long. She could imagine Taveh scowling at her. Well too bad for him. It had been years, years since she had treated herself. "And my babies are of age," she amused, sitting down. Skirts flitted around her, eventfully settling down. Scooping up a rabbit that hopped by, she held it close. "What do you say my pet?" she crooned. "What do you say we have a little fun?" Wasn't seventeen years long enough for her to wait? Oh yes, Karlei was going to have fun tonight._

&$&$&$&

"You're going out with me." Charlie stood in front of Connor, a bag in her hand. He was sitting in his father's office. Angel wasn't there.

He blinked once, twice, three times. "Excuse me?" Connor was sure there was some kind of clause about dating the clientele in his contract.

Charlie rolled her eyes. "Not like that, Casanova. You blend in more than Tony." She paused, grinning wickedly. "Besides you're cuter." Turning around, she began to walk off, ready to go.

He stood, watching her walk out the door; he followed. So this was a slayer. Spike had called her one, granted the vampire had been drunk at the time, there was rarely a time he wasn't these days. The bleached-blonde had been muttering about teenage girls, blood, slayers, and doe eyes. Connor chalked it up to some kind of sexual fantasy, that is, until the next couple of pints brought on tales of handcuffs and robot-sex. He really didn't want to know.

So this little _girl_, for he had no other words for her, was a slayer. It was funny, she didn't remind him of Faith. He really never got the change to observe a slayer closely and for a long time. Sure, he had met Faith, the dark haired slayer hardly sat still long enough for him to understand. Then there was Dana, crazy girl, Connor was glad he never got close to her.

But Charlie was different. Petite, with a mass of brown hair, she was impossibly skinny. There was no assured swagger, no hidden power behind her eyes. All Connor saw was the saunter of a girl with too much money. Though maybe he should give Charlie some credit, she was friendly enough. In the end, she was a little over friendly. The girl never stopped talking; personally, Connor thought she was afraid of silence.

"So, what do you think, should I get a tattoo here," she pointed to the small of her back, "Or here?" This time she pointed to her right hip.

Connor shrugged. He wasn't really one to judge where a girl's tattoos should go. "I don't know. Wouldn't your father be angry when he finds out?" He may not be a judge about tattoos, but he did have a good background on enacting revenge upon one's parent. And Charlie honestly didn't have any reason to want to act out against her father.

Charlie sighed dramatically. "_Of course_. My dad will go red, sputter a bit. That's the point." She grinned. "I have a year of late curfews, expensive phone and credit card bills, and outrageous style to make up. I got my tongue piece last summer, but I had to take it out." She pouted. "But you know what?" Charlie turned to Connor. "Everyone is getting tattoos now. And what happens if it looks like shit? At least with shoes, clothes, or bags I can get rid of them. I don't want to be eighty years old with ink running down my ass. Let's go shopping!"

&$&$&$&

"Ooh look, free samples!" Charlie squealed and dragged Connor over to the booth. He rolled his eyes, she was acting more like a five-year-old than a seventeen-year old. "Don't you roll your eyes at me, mister. You don't pass up free samples of cookies. It's like your giving the finger to the God of Cookies who will in turn tell the Goddess of Shoes. She will then make sure there are no cute ones in my size and that I'll miss all the good sales. And look! It's chocolate chip!"

Connor sighed, and allowed himself to be pulled along. It was chocolate chip cookies after all.

"Coffee now!" she chirped as they walked away, a bag of cookies tucked into her bag. Connor nodded silently. She looked at him quizzically. "So what do you do when I'm not around? Like during the regular year?"

"Putting around the office. Bother my father, help Spike bother my father." The two of them walked into the coffee shop.

"Spike, bleached blonde, gorgeous cheekbones?" Charlie laughed at Connor's disgusted look. "What? He's male; I'm female. He has great cheekbones. I can get more graphic if you'd like." She wiggled her eyebrows playfully. "I can give you the top fifty hottest men from People's off the top of my head if you'd like."

They had gotten their drinks by now, a latte with lots of sugar for Charlie and a simple coffee for Connor. "I think I'd like you to talk to Cordelia about that," Connor muttered under his breath, but she caught it anyway.

"Cordelia? Who?" She cocked he head to the side in question.

"Father's platonic love interest." He didn't elaborate with the story of the year before.

"Lets play a game," Charlie said, sipping her latte after a few minutes of awkward silence.

"No." Connor drank his coffee: black, no sugar. He didn't look into her eyes.

She sighed, and played with a couple of stands of hair. She didn't try and plead. "You know, when I was younger, people would always comment how mature I was when they first met me." The pair stood; ready to leave. Connor threw away the paper cup, while Charlie continued to sip her drink. "Then I'd kick them in the shin. Now I know why a person would only say it once to me." She giggled at the memory for a bit, but soon became distracted by light reflecting off a camera lens.

Connor turn to look in the same direction as her. "Want me to get rid of them?"

Charlie shook her head. "Have a better idea." Signaling the photographer to come closer, she smiled sweetly. "I would like it very much if you wouldn't publish that photo." Her smile widened, showing teeth. "I know you have a deadline, but if I gave you an inside scoop, anonymously of course." The photographer nodded. "Give me your business card." Minutes later she and Connor continued their walk uninterrupted. The photographer's card was safe in her wallet.

Connor looked at her. She looked back. "Are you really going to call him back?" he asked.

"Of course. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." The customary grin she wore faded slowly as she stood stock still. Wincing in pain, she gripped her latte while her other hand went to her head. "Make it stop," she whispered, pain in her voice. "Make the images stop."


	3. Rebellion

**Disclaimer:** Disclaimer: All canon characters et all belong to Joss Weadon et al. This is an answer to gidgetgirl's challenges "Rock Baby" and "Beltane Babies". Both challenges are archived at Chocolate Covered Strawberries )  
**Warning: **This contains bits of the lauguage naughty, and will contain bits of the naughty, couple of chapters later.

* * *

She couldn't keep her eyes open, but she couldn't close them. Charlie didn't want Connor to see her cry; she didn't let anyone see her cry. When her lashes finally fluttered closed, images flooded her brain—none of them good. Her temples pounded as each scene faded only to be replaced by another. Blinking back tears, she hoped Connor wouldn't think her crazy. "Images, every time I close my eyes. Make it stop."

Connor looked at the girl in front of him. Something was attacking her mentally. Now he wasn't an emotional guy, and he rarely cared about anyone other than himself, but he wanted to help her. There was something with Cordelia, once, but she been possessed. As soon as she was in control, it was back into Angel's arms she went. Sunny was long gone, drugs and there was no one left for him to care about.

Sure he and his father had some kind of truce, but after years of beliefs were still ingrained in him; it still couldn't make Connor love Angel like a son loved a father. But there was something about Charlie Elliot that pulled at his heartstrings. He want to make her happy, make sure nothing hurt her. Perhaps he actually cared for her. He hated that.

"Come on." He offered his hand. "I know someone who can help."

!&!&!&!&!

"I'm not sure Crumpet Cakes, but there's some mystical mojo going on," Lorne said, standing over the couch in his office. Connor stood next to the demon while Charlie lay on the couch. She had all but fainted on the elevator on the way up. There's a destiny about her."

"She's a slayer," Connor said darkly. "Spike already informed me of it."

Lorne blinked. "Er…that's right. She's chock full of slayer goodness. So, does she know?" Connor shook his head at the question. "Do you want me to get Wes? He would that most experience with this type of situation. And there's nothing but the best for this little creampuff."

Connor bristled at the nickname. Charlie was his; he nodded anyway. "I'll stay here.

A few minutes later Charlie was up and alert. Wesley stood there, just having completed the newly updated version of the story of the slayer. "Any questions?"

She blinked, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm destined to slay evil things of the night, and at one time, I would have been alone in the task. But now there are hundreds, maybe thousands like me." The two men in front of her nodded. Lorne had left, deciding that the slayer deal would be enough of a shock, never mind a green skinned demon standing over her.

Charlie started to giggling, causing Connor and Wesley to share a nervous look. "Well this is certainly something I never thought of as a form of teenage rebellion." She paused, seeing the pair of confused looks. "From your explanation, I almost have a choice in this. And if my father knew, he'd forbid it. Since it is _so dangerous_. So I'm going to try it out. I could be fun."

"I have to differ," Wesley broke in. "This isn't some type of hobby. It's a serious calling. You were called to fight evil."

Charlie rolled her eyes. "Like I said, it's like the ultimate form of teenage rebellion."

Connor snorted. "Ultimate form of teenage rebellion?" he questioned. "I dropped my father in the ocean in a big metal box. Then I stole his girlfriend. Beat that." He crossed his arms over his chest triumphantly.

"Your dad's the vampire with a soul, right?" Charlie asked. "That's why no one has yet to shove a wooden stake through his heart, right?"

"He's one of them," Connor clarified. "Spike's the other." He nodded to Wesley as the Englishman left. "Now there's someone who could help you with those images." At Charlie's shrug, he called for Lorne. "He's a little surprising at first, but he won't hurt you." Connor warned.

When the friendly demon stepped back into his office, Charlie bit down a shriek. "It's nice to meet you." She offered a hand.

"Oh, we've already met honey cakes. But why don't you sing me a little ditty to get thing rolling." Lorne shook her hand before settling down behind his desk.

Charlie's eyes darted from Lorne to Connor. "Um, okay." She fought off blushing. She hated to sing, always afraid of being compared to her father. "_I know I'm wrong, and I don't really care. If I keep on lying, maybe I'll believe it too. So I'm going to leave, without thinking of you. And I'll find my better days_," Charlie sang softly, as if she was unsure of the words or the melody, though she had often gone to sleep to it.

"Well," Lorne sat back. "Something's going on. Something big, mean, and grey. It's finding you a very nice power source. Connor," the demon looked at the young man, "see if Wesley has any idea what this is." When Charlie turned to leave, Lorne called her back. "Not all men are like that," he said softly. "Not all are pigs. Give Connor a chance. He's more like his father than he's like to admit, and Angel's an honorable man, awful singer, but an honorable man. Don't be afraid to let someone in. Now go beat some parasite booty."

Connor met her outside, giving no indication if he heard Lorne's advice. "How good is your aim?" He handed her a crossbow.

"I was always good at archery." He handed her a sword. "You're lucky I can fence, passably. Ah, the joys of going to a prep school." Connor nodded and turned.

"Let's go."

!&!&!&!&!

Charlie looked about the empty warehouse. "People complain about not having enough housing. Why don't they just subdivide these empty, and somewhat spooky warehouses? You know it's just screaming horror flick to me. What do you think?" Connor glared at her, obviously wanting her to shot up. "Sorry," Charlie apologized, though not really meaning it. "Stupidity hurts sometimes."

They walked through the maze of boxes and machinery. Every so often Connor would stop, cock his head to the side, and listen. "This way," he would hiss every so often before they would take a sharp turn either right or left.

At one point, Charlie asked, "So how are we supposed to kill it? From that picture you showed me, I don't think asking nicely would work very well." She ignored Connor's dark look "Well, it probably wouldn't."

Less than three minutes later they were in the heart of the maze of boxes. "Careful." Connor's eyes flickered over to Charlie then over to the demon. He was a tall son of a bitch, almost as tall as the Beast or perhaps Skip. His skin had a grayish cast.

"Hey." Charlie stepped out from behind a pile of boxes, ignoring the evil look in Connor's eye. "Hey," she said a little louder, getting the attention of the demon. "Yes you: big, grey, and ugly. Is there anyway you could stop doing the little mini-movies behind my eyelids? The migraines that come with are a bitch." When the demon growled, Charlie looked back at Connor. "I told you it wouldn't work. But hey, I could at least try." She hefted the broadsword. "Can I use this now? It's getting heavy."

Before she knew it, Connor had rushed past her, sword already drawn. She couldn't help but marvel how his hair almost bounced. Briefly Charlie wondered what kind of gel he used, not a hair out of place, even with all the twisting and jumping. "Will you move?" Connor shouted. "You have a sword, use it!"

Charlie blinked before laughing and jumping into the fray. Soon her muscles began to grow tired and just as she felt as if her they were straining to the point where something would snap, something inside her broke. Something, she didn't know what, washed over her. It felt as if she was finally comfortable in her own skin. Switching the sword to her left hand, Charlie hefted the crossbow into her right. Aiming it with a steady hand, she fired. The soft _ping_ sounded as the arrow flew true. "Wicked," Charlie murmured as she dropped the sword before loading the next arrow. "Watch out," she yelled to Connor as she aimed again. This one didn't end up where she wanted, though it caused the demon to stumble.

This time she dropped the crossbow with a _thump_ and snatched the sword from the ground. Maybe it was her imagination, but she felt a breeze brush past her ear, smelling faintly of wildflowers. Running a hand through her hair, Charlie made her way towards Connor and the demon; the sword gripped in her hand. Holding it tighter, she raised the sword in an unpracticed motion. It was very different from the foil she used when she fenced in phys ed. Closing her eyes, Charlie swung the sword a wildly, eventually hitting something. Her eyes flickered open, where she found the sword embedded halfway into the neck of the demon.

"Finish your work," Connor said quietly. At her questioning look, he made a gesture to the sword. "All the way through."

Once she did as he requested, Charlie started to giggle. "I did it." She started to dance around. "I did it, I did it. I killed the bag guy," she sang.

Connor grabbed her arm, pulling her close. "Shut up," he hissed. Then he kissed her.

!&!&!&!&!

Karlei giggled like a young girl as she watched the chosen. Her chosen. "Mine, mine, mine," she sighed, sinking down on the ground. The goddess loved it when her chosen did things themselves; it made life so much easier.

_"You shouldn't infer with the mortals life." Taveh stood behind her, grave. "They are none of our concern, not our playthings."_

_Karlei stood, looking more of like a wise midwife rather than a young maiden. She sniffed. "We may have once been forgotten, but that does not mean we our powerless. I'll have my chosen." The goddess turned, picking up a brown furred, grey-eyed, she-rabbit, the goddess walked off.  
_

!&!&!&!&!

Three weeks later, the pair were sitting on a bed in a hotel room somewhere in Texas. It was hot and rainy outside, completely miserable. A movie was playing, though neither was really watching. Her mind wandered; Charlie decided that she liked Connor kisses. She liked them very much. There were very few things that she liked better. Chocolate for one, and shoes another. But after them, Connor kisses were number one. Did that make her materialistic? Probably. Charlie sighed, rolling over onto her stomach, she looked at Connor. "Have you ever though about role models?"

He grunted, not really answering. She kicked him lightly. "No," he said after a moment.

"Well I have." Connor rolled his eyes. Charlie snorted. "They always ask what's it like to have Denison as your role models." She began to giggle, snorting a couple of times. "Those buffoons, Denison," she clarified, "aren't role models. Dean has a new addiction every week. Be it girls, alcohol, or drugs." She rolled over and turned off the television.

"I was watching that," Connor remarked.

"No you weren't. You were listening to me. You know I saw him snort once, Dean. It was between A Trickster's Lie and Driving at 1 am, I was ten. My father threw him out on his ass, just coming off a high." She rolled over, now on her back. "Will likes to drink, you know, sometimes he dabbles in drugs, but loves his ladies. I learned the facts of life through him, well before the age of ten. I like to pin my dirty mind on him, though he isn't the only one to blame." Smirking, she kicked off her shoes.

Connor snorted. Charlie kicked him again, hard.

"No," she mused, "Marcus definitely played a part in the whole perverted mind. I'm fluently bilingual when swearing is concerned thanks to him. He's my godfather."

"What about your father?" Connor asked, genuinely interested.

"No angel," Charlie snorted at the thought. "I've lost count of the bimbos he brought home, or the times I've found him passed out drunk in his room. I'm acutely aware of the stench of pot and the effect it has on a person." She sighed as she closed her eyes, lost in a memory. "Age thirteen, he left a joint and a lighter out while he went to a studio. Being the age I was; I lit it, ended up losing control." She looked up and over at Connor.

He didn't say anything. Connor knew the negative effects of drugs; Sunny was a perfect example.

"You know, he found me," Charlie continued. "I was all giggly at home. Marcus said that was the only time he though my father was going to him me. I was grounded for a month, credit cards taken away for six." She sniggered, "I was, am, such a spoiled little bitch." She sat back. "Still can't stand the smell of pot. I don't think my dad does it much any more. He's aware of the influence he as over me, all two months of the year."

Laughter bubbled out of her. So maybe life wasn't completely perfect concerning Charlie Rose.


	4. Vicariously

**Disclaimer:** Disclaimer: All canon characters et all belong to Joss Weadon et al. This is an answer to gidgetgirl's challenges "Rock Baby" and "Beltane Babies". Both challenges are archived at Chocolate Covered Strawberries  
**Warning: **This contains bits of the language naughty, and contains bits of the naughty in this chapter.  
Thanks: Anastasia, my oh so wonderful proofreader and friend. If it wasn't for her, this chapter wouldn't be half as good as it is now. Also, gidgetgirl, who wrote the challenges, and has always encouraged me. Mainly it was to finish fics, but encouraged me nonetheless.

* * *

Chapter Four: Vicariously  
  
"Adele!" Charlie called to her best friend as she bounded down the hall of Walen House. The Californian girl turned at the sound of her name. "How are you?" Charlie threw her arms around her best friend. "I've missed you so much. You've got to tell me what you did, where you went, whom you met. Dallas involved in any of it?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.  
  
Adele rolled her eyes, but embraced her friend anyway. "That's none of your business. Just because your father still insists you're a non-sexual being doesn't mean you're getting off vicariously through me." She smirked. "But you know, the songs just don't do the whole sex-under-the-pier justice." Adele snickered.  
  
"You didn't!" Charlie looked scandalized.  
  
Adele shrugged. "So Will Dagger uses Rogaine?" She gave her an expectant look. "Your work I presume?" Smirking at Charlie's guilty look, she laughed. "Good job, there's nothing like a little mischief and mayhem to make summer even better."  
  
They walked into Adele's room. "It's better than pictures of me and a bodyguard." Charlie Smiled dreamily.  
  
"Bodyguard and me," Adele corrected, but went on. "Uh-oh, I know that look. Someone had fun in the sun this summer. Details, details. Don't leave anything out."  
  
"Now who's living vicariously?" Charlie asked, raising an eyebrow. Then the girl began to tell her story of the summer, leaving out some of the demonic parts. "So how was DC?" Charlie asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Not bad." Adele shrugged, sitting down on her bed. Charlie couldn't help but think guiltily about the various boxes and suitcases of stuff that she needed to unpack. "The vice-president's kid," Adele continued, "is a lot less stuffy that I remember. He and Greg," she spoke of a mutual friend, a senator's son from Massachusetts, "got along really well. They were attached at the hip, well, when Jon, the vice-president's son, wasn't with Sara, that's the president's daughter." She sighed suddenly. "I met Sara's older brothers. If Dallas wasn't in the picture..." she trailed off grinning. "Well, you get the idea. So this Connor guy…"  
  
Charlie snorted, laughing. "Not the brightest crayon in the box, and He has this serious talk-in-single-word-sentences problem, but loyal to the end. Another plus is that I can go out most of the time without getting mobbed. My dad's happy because I'm actually sticking with someone." She scowled. "I'm seventeen, but he still thinks I'm seven. But hey, he doesn't know about the late nights or the slumber parties."  
  
Adele blinked. "Slumber parties?"  
  
Charlie nodded. "It's weird. Beds become instantly more comfortable when you share them." A far off look crept into her eyes. "We spent many rainy days and nights in a hotel room watching movies."  
  
The pair of friends continued to talk until Adele noticed it was 5:30, and if either of them wanted anything to eat, they should go now. Making their way to Pierce Hall, the two greeted classmates. Apparently Walen House was made up of only senior class members. Charlie decided this year was going to be pretty good. There were not any freshman up at all hours, she had courses she liked, and Connor was going to call in a couple of hours. And, how could she forget, now she could go to New York City, unsupervised, every weekend if she chose to. Charlie loved senior privileges.  
  
"Charlie!" A guy's voice called out, causing her to turn around. She thought it might have been Greg. A quip involving the vice-president's son was on the tip of her tongue, but it wasn't him. Instead, it was Theo, ex-boyfriend extraordinaire. He jogged up. "Charlie," he said again, his voice was soft.  
  
Charlie's eyes narrowed. "What do you want?" She stepped back from him. "Jerk-off." She added the last part as an afterthought. Glaring fully at the guy in front of her, she ignored Adele's sniggering.  
  
"I thought we should talk." He gave her a sad smile. "You stormed out of there so quickly, you never gave me a chance to explain." Theo took a step forward, invading Charlie's personal space, and brushed a lock of hair away from her eyes. "Short and red. Come on, you know I like my girls with long hair and blond. But that's your way I guess. Act now think later. Regardless of what I like."  
  
Charlie pulled back, as if burned. Adele had stopped giggling; instead she scowled. "What the fuck?" Charlie asked slowly, as if she was trying to process it through her brain. "What the fuck?" She repeated. "Why the fuck would I care what you looked for in a girlfriend? As I remember it, you were quite naked, and stumbling to find your pants. I know it happened a bit too quickly for you to understand, but I was the one who told you it was over." Charlie turned to go, but stopped, as a thought popped into her head. "You know," she said as she cocked her head to the side, "from what I remember, you weren't that good. It was wham, bam, done with you. Control really isn't your strong point. And for the record," she glanced at his crotch, "you really don't have a lot to be proud of." With that, Charlie turned and walked off, Adele trailing behind her.  
  
When the paired entered the hall, Adele was still snickering while Greg joined them. "Word has it that Theo, also known as the Prick, is popping Viagra just to get it up. Any comment?" He grinned.  
  
Charlie rolled her eyes. "Gossip really is the number one sport around here, huh? And I really don't know his drug habits, though it wouldn't surprise me. But I'm thinking Jerk-Off is a better nickname than the Prick. It's even more fitting."  
  
They walked into the dining hall together, getting accosted no less than ten times. By the time the trio was sitting down, another five people had come up to Charlie asking about Theo. The rest of the meal was spent talking about summer vacation and that sort Of Thing, anything but Theo. Samuel Hall, Sam, an actor who once had a crush on Charlie in freshman year, joined them. Now, However, they were just good friends. A few minutes later Kaitlyn Martu, the daughter of an owner of a Fortune 500 company, joined them as well. They joked about various things, the confrontation with Theo rarely brought up, and only when someone approached the table. By the time the small group had wandered outside, Charlie had had six date proposals and over sixteen girls come up to thank her for putting Theo in his place.  
  
As the friends sat under one of the oak trees in the main quad, Charlie couldn't help but feel as though someone was watching her. But she shook off the feeling. She was probably just missing Connor, and the Theo thing wasn't helping much either.  
  
&!&!&!&!  
  
_Karlei glowered at the boy. How dare he? How dare he touch one of her chosen like that? The goddess smiled softly; her chosen would be fine. The smile turned wicked; the boy would not. It was going to be so much fun._  
  
&!&!&!&!  
  
"We're going out." Adele pulled Charlie down the stairs. "It's time for you to stop being so mopey and reclusive. Yes, I know it's been months since you've seen Connor, the love of your life."  
  
Charlie scowled, throwing on a light jacket. Even though it was early May, there was still a chilly wind outside; she really did not need to get sick. "In case you haven't noticed," she snapped, "finals are next week, graduation a week after that."  
  
"And your father will show," Adele broke in. "It's like in the daddy code." She successfully shoved Charlie out of Walen House. Greg stood out on the porch. He nodded to the two girls.  
  
Charlie ignored him. "It's easy for you to say." Her scowl deepened. "My father has a hard time getting time off. His handlers schedule every moment." Greg and Adele shared a look, but said nothing about the outburst.  
  
"Damn girl." Greg fell in step with the two girls. Throwing an arm around Charlie's shoulders, he continued. "You need some. Can you say repressed? Next thing you'll be doing is accusing people of being witches."  
  
"Ha, bloody, ha." Charlie's voice dripped sarcasm. "Maybe you'll be first." She shrugged off Greg's arm. "Look, I have to study for finals. If this is just going to be pick on Charlie day, I'm going back to my room."  
  
"No you aren't." Adele shoved her best friend down the steps. "We're going out to eat. And if it wasn't illegal, get you smashed as well. You're going to relax, like It or not."  
  
"Fine." Charlie crossed her arms, pouting.  
  
&!&!&!&!  
  
"Feel better?" Adele asked, as they waited for the check and for Greg, who has gone to the bathroom. She played with the remains of her dessert.  
  
Charlie shrugged. "A little, I guess." She took a sip of her tea.  
  
"Hey, look what I found." Greg walked up to the table. "I believe he belongs to you, Charlie."  
  
She looked up. "Connor?" Charlie blinked. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well," Adele clapped her hands. "Why don't we go somewhere else?" She raised a hand. "Check please!"  
  
A few minutes later the four of them were walking down the streets. Connor's hand was grasped in Charlie's; every so often she would squeeze it, just making sure he was still there.  
  
"You two should go on alone," Adele urged her friend, "we'll cover for you. It's Friday night; no one is going to expect ups to check in the weekend before cram week. Besides, Greg and I are just dead weight." Charlie still looked unsure; Adele rolled her eyes. "Stop being such a good girl. I know better."  
  
"Yeah," Greg agreed. "I missed the girl who actually socialized." He looked at Connor. "For god's sakes, she's repressed. Stop it."  
  
Connor looked confused. "Ignore him." Charlie shot a dirty look towards her friend. "He just gets his rocks off by teasing me." She stuck her tongue out before kissing Connor. "Not that it's working or anything." Charlie winked. Taking a cue, Adele and Greg left the couple, making their way back to the Haywood campus. "So, where are you staying?" Charlie asked as they began to walk down the street.  
  
"There." Connor pointed toward the brick building at the very end of the street.  
  
"Lord Geoffrey Inn? Damn, that place is supposed to be expensive. Supposed to be nice though." She looked at Connor out of the corner of her eye. "I see we're back to one word sentences. A few months without me and you're already regressing."  
  
Connor snorted. "Angel's paying for it." He smirked. "He doesn't know though."  
  
Charlie laughed out loud. "I've corrupted you. How fun." Hugging her boyfriend tightly, she started to drag him toward the Inn.  
  
&!&!&!&!  
  
Charlie's back hit the wall as she scrambled to pull off his shirt; he just ripped hers off. "That was new!" Charlie complained as buttons flew everywhere. He did not say a word, instead his lips descended upon hers. Hands wandered far south of what would be considered appropriate.  
  
Charlie moaned as Connor fumbled with her bra. Grasping his wrists, she placed them firmly on her hips. She unhooked her bra. "Bed. Now." Connor groaned.  
  
"Back to single word sentences?" Charlie smirked, but didn't complain as Connor picked her up and carried her over to the bed.  
  
&!&!&!&!  
  
_There were pros in being omniscient. Karlei smirked, as she looked about her chosen. These ones where special, they did things out of their own free will. No pushing from her required. It was so much easier than others. Honestly, one couple, due to one little misunderstanding and blood feud, completely lost their chance to greatness. _  
  
_"What do you think, my sweets?" The goddess picked up twin baby rabbits. "Do you think they're special? Do you think they're strong enough?" The rabbits gave no response except to twitch their noses in unison; somehow the goddess understood the reply. "I thought so too my sweets, I thought so too." _  



	5. Three for the Price of One

**Disclaimer:** Disclaimer: All canon characters et all belong to Joss Weadon et al. This is an answer to gidgetgirl's challenges "Rock Baby" and "Beltane Babies". Both challenges are archived at Chocolate Covered Strawberries )  
**Note:** Sorry for the delay, but hey, it was less than a year! Yay for me. I though I may attempt the write 50,000 words in one month thing, but it didn't work out. Then I had some problems with timing with my beta, Anastasia, who you all have to thank for this chapter, by the way, and then school. But the good news is that I have chapter six written already and it will be posted within the next two weeks, I hope. Please leave any constructive criticism, 'cause you know, I like that.

* * *

**Chapter Five:** Three for the Price of One 

Charlie blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting to the light streaming through the windows. Rubbing her eyes, she yawned, trying to get the gunk out of the corners. Rolling over, she bumped into something, or rather, someone. Connor. "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore," she muttered under her breath.  
"Connor," she hissed, shaking him slightly. "Connor." She said again, this time louder.

There was a grunt from his direction, but other than that, there were no response to her prodding. Charlie tugged at his shoulder harder. "What do you want?" Connor's voice was slurred with sleep; his eyes remained closed.

"Wake up!" She stood. With the sheet wrapped around her, Charlie began to look for her clothes. She had just found her shirt, buttons gone, when Connor sat up. "Moving would be nice. Help me find my bra."

"What's with?" Connor gestured at the sheet Charlie had wrapped around herself. "I saw more than that last night."

"Yeah, and last night you were acting like Mr. Caveman." Charlie rolled her eyes. "So it doesn't count. Now get up and help me find the missing lingerie. She sighed, the banquet was tonight, and there were countless things she still needed to do before six.

"Found it!" In Connor's hands was Charlie's purple lace bra; he threw it at her.

&!&!&!&!

Charlie looked in the mirror. A year ago…well, a year ago was a year ago, she was very tense. Now there were butterflies in her stomach, but that was probably just because this was her last banquet at school. She bit her lip. At least now she knew where she was going at the end of the summer. In that last week she had received her letter from UCLA. Maybe it was really late, but she was in. Adele was staying in Connecticut, choosing to go to Wellesley. She would miss her best friend, but they would see each other during the summer. Greg was going to Georgetown.

In the end, Charlie would miss her friends, but after the past year, she doubted she would ever be the same. A knock at her door, probably Adele, interrupted Charlie's train of thought. "Coming!" she yelled as she put in her earring.

"Bra's showing," was Adele's greeting. Charlie hurried to fix it. "So, last banquet. Who would of thought we'd make it out of here alive?"

"Don't start." Charlie walked back to the mirror. "You're going to make me cry and ruin my make-up. Let's save the tears for graduation, okay?"

Adele nodded, picking up her friend's mascara. "So, is your dad coming?" she asked casually as she touched up her own make-up.

Charlie smiled softly, though it didn't show in her eyes. "Come on, we don't want to be late."

&!&!&!&!

Charlie honestly could saw she liked LA; she had always seen herself as a New York kind of girl, but LA suited her. The weather rocked; there was no such thing as snow, which she was looking forward to in the coming months. Not to say there weren't any bad sides to the City of Angels, she just chose to ignore them.

Her father was touring once more, in Europe this time. Since school was so close, she had elected to take over the condo, Connor tagging along as well. At this rate, she'd get to visit another continent. But that was last on her list of things to do for the night.

Unlocking the door to the condo, she had all but taken over Charlie found it…clean? "Hello?" She called as she took off the light coat she had been wearing and walked into the kitchen. "Connor?" she questioned as she found her boyfriend in there, sitting at the table. "This place is clean. It wasn't when I left. You don't clean. What'd you do?" Embracing her boyfriend around the shoulders, she put her chin on top of his head. "Not that I'm complaining or anything, but I thought you were all tied up at Wolfram & Hart, impending apocalypse in Brazil or something."

"Taken care of by magic, but we may be in for a couple of tremors tonight." Standing, he walked over to the oven and took out a pizza. "I brought dinner."

"Lunch leftovers?" Charlie guessed, a smirk on her face, but shrugged, taking a piece anyway. To be honest, she really didn't care where the food came from; it was one less meal she had to think about. "So how long until they need you?" she asked, staring at microwave's clock blankly. Another piece of pizza was in front of her.

"Don't know." Connor reached for is third piece. "Cordelia wanted me to tell you that the two of you need to go shopping." Charlie nodded, silently, distracted. "When do you start school?"

"September first, I have a month." Her tone was far off, distant.

"What's wrong?" Connor's voice had a hint of worry.

"I haven't had my period since the end of April, beginning of May. True, I've never been the most regular person, but I've never missed two…"  
Connor looked around nervously, Charlie had explained to him the importance of contraception and such, including periods. Personally, he thought he was better off not knowing. "But you said you were on the pill…"

"And I'm in that one percentile that it apparently does not work on. Maybe it's super-Slayer fertility or something. Didn't you get Sex Ed?" Charlie snapped. "Hell, I lived in a sexually repressed school and I still know. Granted, the students were anything but repressed." She sighed. "I was also someone who convinced my dad that the pill was to clear up acne."

"So what are we going to do?" Connor asked.

She pulled out a twenty-dollar bill from her pocket. "I can tell you what you're going to do. You're going to go down to CVS and buy me a home pregnancy test."

&!&!&!&!

The next morning Charlie sat on the side of the tub, too nervous to look at the little stick she had to pee on. "Connor, get your ass in here!" she yelled, Charlie had never been a morning person. Her boyfriend stumbled into the bathroom. "What's the result?" she asked him, gesturing to the pregnancy test.  
He looked at it, then at her, then back at the test. "How accurate are these things?" he asked nervously.

"Fuck," she swore, and then looked at the test herself. "Maybe it's false. Maybe the super-female hormones messed it up." She glanced up at Connor. "Who am I kidding, let me get a number of an OB/GYN."

&!&!&!&!

_Karlei smiled softly as she watched her chosen flip through the yellow book. The god knew the girl deep down believed in the little white stick, but what was the harm in double-checking? Everything would be okay; Karlei would make sure of that._

&!&!&!&!

"What if someone sees me?" Charlie sunk lower into her seat, pulling the sweatshirt closer to her body. "A little dignity is all I ask for." She sank even lower.

"If you keep acting like that, you'll be noticed. Just relax," Connor told her as he pretended to read the National Geographic in his hands.  
Charlie glowered at him. "Easy for you to say. You weren't the one who had to pee on a little stick, only to find out that your whole life was about to change." She crossed her arms over her chest, pouting.

"Would it make your life easier if I peed on a stick as well?" Connor asked.She didn't even giggle.

"Mrs. Angel?" A nurse called from the reception area. Charlie looked over at Connor; he didn't meet her eyes.

A few minutes later Charlie sat on the cold bench like thing most doctors had in the examination room, dressed only in one of the paper gowns they gave. Connor sat off to the side in a chair. "Is it cold in here?" Charlie asked as she crossed her feet at the ankles. "Or is it just me?"

"Just you."

Before Charlie could retort, the doctor walked in. Young, perhaps in her late twenties, early thirties, she had a round face and dark hair. "Hello, I'm Dr. Royan."

&!&!&!&!

"Congratulations, you're pregnant, ten weeks." The doctor smiled at the young couple. "I'm going to want to see you in the next two weeks to see how you're doing, considering your age and this is your first pregnancy." Nodding, she left, leaving Charlie and Connor to talk.

"You know what this means?" Charlie told Connor as she quickly dressed.

"What?"

"We're going to Vegas."

&!&!&!&!

Charlie honestly surprised herself sometimes. They were able to pull off a Vegas wedding. Maybe going during the day helped, or the fact that Paris Hilton had been in town. There had been some scandal involving her the week before. Paparazzi were brutal. Charlie hadn't been looking to increase popularity by being the media's darling by being in the movies or television, or even God-forbid, singing. There were bigger fish to catch as far as the tabloids were concerned.

Now as the memory of the weekend passed her by, she sat in front of the toilet. The contents of her stomach flushed away. Groaning slightly, Charlie leaned back against the wall. "Here." Connor gave her a hand up before offer a glass of water. She simply smiled in thanks, not wanting to talk. "My dad wants us to go out to dinner tomorrow night."

Charlie took a sip of water, and began to speak. "Go out to eat?" Her voice squeaked. "With you family?" Though Charlie was no judge of normality in the family department, sometimes his family…got to be a little too much. Along with his father, a souled vampire, Angel, who she had never really spoken to, there was Cordelia. Connor had slept with the woman, but she had been possessed at the time. Charlie couldn't hold that against her. Cordelia also was the head of Wolfram & Hart's fashion department; Charlie had to love that. The only thing that weirded her out was Cordelia's seer bit, who knows what the woman could see?

Then there was Wesley and Fred. The two of them had her vote for the cutest couple award. Wes had the rough and tumble thing going and, and the accent. Fred was one of the sweetest people that Charlie had ever met, though most of the time she really couldn't understand any of the science babble. She had never been very good at science. There was Lorne, whose appearance Charlie had gotten over. She adored the demon now. Spike was the only one to freak her out, the whole vampire thing; he still kept trying to talk to her. Lastly, there was Gunn, who she had actually never met. Though from what Connor had told her, he was a very good lawyer.

"It would be as good a time as any to tell them about Vegas." Connor shrugged, sitting on the side of the tub.

"Fine." Charlie put down the class of water. "But you're going with me to shop for the perfect dress."

&!&!&!&!

She looked at herself in the restaurant's window, and began to smooth out her dress. "I shouldn't have worn this. I look fat."

"You look fine." Connor took her arm, leading her into the Italian restaurant. "Just relax, and everything will be fine," he whispered in her ear. Grabbing her arm lightly they walked in.

Soon they were seated in a corner booth, Connor on Charlie's left and Spike on her right. She scooted closer to Connor in the pretense of cuddling. Angel was next to Connor with Cordelia on his other side. Gunn sat next to Cordelia, on the end. Wesley sat across from Gunn, with Fred next to him. Spike sat on the other side of Fred.

As soon as the waiter left with their orders, Cordelia put down her glass of water. "The reason we wanted to bring you together was," she stole a look at Angel, "Well, there's no easy way to put this, but I'm pregnant, with Angel's child." Connor didn't even bat an eye at the woman's announcement, and instead kicked Charlie's leg lightly. In response, Charlie stepped on his foot with her stiletto heel.

"Oh my!" Fred's soft voice cried. "Congratulations." She looked at Wesley. "But we also have something to say. I'm pregnant too!" As congratulations went around and Cordelia and Fred began to talk about the shopping they would have to do together, Connor leaned over to Charlie.

"Well?" he asked.

"I don't know," Charlie looked uneasily at the two women." I would hate to ruin their moment."

"If you don't say anything, I will." Connor's voice was still low.

"You do, and my heel in your foot is the least of your worries." Charlie threatened, her voice a hiss.

Connor sat back, his arm around Charlie's shoulders. He would regret this, but it had to be done. "Everyone," he winced as Charlie ground her heel into his foot. "We have an announcement to make."

"Well not to jump on the bandwagon or anything," both Charlie's voice and smile were tight, "but we too have a bun in the oven."


End file.
